Indicating mechanism



May 22,' 192s. 1,670,744

F. F. scHRoDx-:R

INDICATING MECHANISM Filed April 27, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 1 llliiliiiam,I

j' j; )S/ l my May22,'1928.

ZShSetS-Sheet 2 l Filed April 27, 1927 Patented May Z2, 1928.

Unirse sfr-A TE s` FRED F. scnnonnn, on CHICAGO, iLLiNois.v

y innicATiivG ivinoniinisivi.

Application filed April 27, 51927; vSeriatl'o. 186,857.

This invention relates to an indicatingl mechanism of a kind which is particularlywv adapted for use on automobiles to furnish notice concerning steering movements under way, In this mechanism may be comprised*` one or more indicators located at desired places upon the vehicle, and operated by a.v

common control having connection with the steering apparatus.

It is an object of this' invention to pro-` vide in-a mechanism of the kind specified a sensitive indicating means which is Vinstantly ,responsive to steering movements in either direction; to operate the indicating means by power derived from the, vehicleI motor,r

preferably by minus Vpressure or, vacuum', such as is created in the intake manifold thereof; and to ,accomplish 'these ends by means which are simple, lineipei-i'sive,"easily installed, and 4durable to withstand hard usage over aprolonged period.AV M'y inven-" tion contemplates also various other objects which will hereinafter appear.

A suggestive exemplification of this "invention is set forth in the accompanying drawingsin the manner following:`

Figure l which isa side elevation of*V a conventional automobile shows in diagram matic form the interconnected' components of the vpresent invention;

Fig. '2 is a faceview of the indicator per se with the cover therefor removed;-

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section throughthe indicator on Aline' 34-3 of Fig. 2; Fig.V .tis aii enlarged detail,` partly in section-and partly .in elevation, showing they cylinder mechanismv comprisedin the indicator;`

Fig.` 5 is a fraginentaiyview inl Slider ele-` vation of the upper end vof the` steering [post trated is designed 4particularly', for an auto, mobile, although itv may possibly beA used to,

TheV descrip-l tion to follow will accordingly refer to they advantage in other capacities.

mechanism in association vwith an automo- "time,

bile, withv the?. understanding, however, that i it n eed not of'. necessity be so employed.

Figure 1 'showsv al conventionalautomobile having front and rear wheels A and B;

respectively, the formerdiriglble as is cusitomary, and the latter propelled by an internall combustion engine C having an intake manifold 510. The front'wheels `are controlled `by a steering apparatus which` includes a column l1 through whichis eX- s tended- 'a'post 12'(see Fig. `5)k having at its upper end the usual hand Wheelk 13."

Mounted fast upon the post, preferably"l close to the steering wheel,`is a collar 15,- having a notch 1,6r at one'point in its Ipel riphery. This collar, if desired, vmay` be z" split to facilitate. attachment, as suggested in Fig. 6, although this isa detail. rof minor importance. In proximity to thev collar, 1I'

have shownabracket 17 which carries a' valvebody 18 having three aligned' ports y 19, 20A and21 which openl at one 'end' thereof. 1 Connected with the-central port -20 isa conf-` duit 9.2 which leads totheintake vmanifold {lO'of the motor. The remaining two' con-v j duits 23. and'24i 'are connected, respectively,

withthe ports 19 and 21 andl lead. tofop'-AV posite ends of thel cylinder mechanism con-1"' tained withinl the indicator D, a description sa whereof` 'Willpresently be furnisliedl The threevalveports terminate upon fa' face formingfoneend of a valvechamber havinga closure 26 therefor., Through i aperture inv the closure' halvefeXtended a a "valve,stem1127 which vcarries atf'one end a* head28 havi-ngfa central Adepending tube 29"* Y disposed withinv the port2O.v Lateral pas.- sages V30 provide .communicationI from this f central tubetoside ports 31 and 32 adapted' i to register, respectively, 'with thevalve body ports'- 1,9 vand 21., It is toV be noted, 'ho-weven",

that thesev last twoports-Bl and 32a/re mis,- aligned with" respect to the central port 20 so that 'communie/ation, through only "one f lateral passage 30 lcaifiloe establishedat, one

y1.00 A very-slightoscillation of the valve stem will move the headfsufticiently to open lup i ,communication with one or' the otherfof the body ports,v 19 and 21, the tube 2 9 being Y* at all times in opencommunication with the' central portQO. By the provision of small tapering slots ,32 pijoce'edingfrom the ports 31 andBQ toward theassociated ports 19 and' 21 a very'slight communica-tion,therewith is,

' established almost immediately.l following;

i m f any movement of the valve stem from a nor-` mal central position such as is indicated in Fig. 8. It may be found desirable to interpose a compression spring 34 between the closure 26 and the valve hea'd'28 so asto maintain the latter firmly' against its seat,

and to impose a desired friction or drag to ment, the finger being swung and held laterally with each movbement of thesteering post, and then returned to its normal` medial position, as shown in Fig. 6, when the steering post is again brought to the vnormal straight-ahead position. In the restoration f of the linger to this central position, one

of the two springs 37 engages initially with the lug 36 so as to assist in pointing the finger toward the notch 16 wherein it is designed to enter. The mechanism thus,k far described provides for actuation of oneor more indicators D which may'be'carried at convenient points upon'thev vehicle. These indicators arel in all respects identicaljandmake use of the single control means already described.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3, and 4,I have shown a housing 40 open on one side to receive a glass panel 41 which may be held in vplace with the aid` ofa frame 42. An

electric light 43 mounted within the housing;

casts a desired illumination through the panel and so-ur'nishes a means by which the indicator may be read .r in the darkness Rearwardly of the glass and in spaced relation thereto is a dial plate 44 which, in the formy shown, is arc-shaped for Right and Left readings thereupon. A hand 45 forming a pointer is adapted to swing across the dial plate upon-,a stud 46 forming a pivotal center therefor. Associated with theV pointer is a pinion 47 in meshing relation with a segmental rack 48 having a pivotal mounting as at 49 upon Va pin which isA carried by a bracket plate 50 upstanding roma'body 51 in which is a bore forming a cylinder whereinv is rslidingly mounted a duplex piston 52, the opposite ends of which are chambered. A closure 53 is provided at each cylinder end adjacent rwhich are ports 54 and 55 wherewith the conduits 23 and 24 are respectively connected.

From the central portion of the piston is extended laterally a pin 56 which passes .through al horizontal slot 57 inthe body of the cylinder 51. This pin also is extended through a slot 58 which is formed radially through the segmental rack plate 48. The outer end of the pin may be split to receive the lower end of a iiat wir'e spring 59 Whose .upper end is rigidly held by a stud 5() which is carried by the bracket plate 50. The normal tendency` of this spring is to return the segmental rack plate to the central position shown in Fig. A2, thereby restoring the pointer hand 45l to vertical position whenever conditions will permit. Vith move-` mentof the piston 52 in either direction, in response to a suction or l'minus pressure, the hand is actuated correspondingly. 4 During such movements the pin 56 slides within the horizontal slot 57 and communicates m0- tion ,to the segmental rack plate 48 while sliding within the vertical slot57 thereof.

From the preceding description'the operation'or" the present apparatus will be quite obvious. It isto'be noted specially, however, that actuation of the direction indicator takes place, automatically with each movement of the steering post 12. At no time is the operator obliged to give attention to any manual control. With steering movments to thev right or left, one 'or the other of the ports 19 and '21 is placed in communin cation with the port 20 whereby the pointer hand is moved at once in a corresponding the normal straight-ahead position where-` uponthe suctionforce is discontinued, permitting the lspring 19 to restore thepointer hand to vertical position. o v 1 I The presentapparatus may be constructed and installedv at" very small expense.` In operation'it requires noattentiOn, and it lmay be depended `upon vto perform satisfacmiv direction. In its ychanged position it remains y l until the steering post is again brought to torily over ,av longY vperiod of' service. 1 In n many of its details numerous changes may, of course, be made from the form ortype herein set forth, by way of illustratiombut in respect of its essential featuresA and'pr'inciples of operation, as defined by the claims n following, full protection is desired.

1. In'combination with a steering mechanism, a valve-control a Geneva gear movement operatively connecting saidv steering mechanism land valve, whereby lthe valve is held in either of two positions without resistance to turning movement ofthe steering mechanism, an indicating mechanism, and a fluid pressure source having connection with both said valve control and said indicating mechanism adapted to. actuate the latter when the .former is moved in response to operation of the steering mechanism, substantially as described. y i 2. In combination with avsteering mechanism, a' Geneva movement operatively' connected thereto, a valve control operatively vassociated therewith and adapted to be moved and held in moved position thereby without resistance to turning movement of y the steering mechanism, an indicator having an associated cylinder mechanism for im-` pin is extended and adapted to be oscillated thereby, and a swinging pointer having an associated pinion co-acting with the segmental rack and adapted to be oscillated thereby, substantially as described.

4. A pressure actuated indicating mechanism in which is comprised a cylinder having a laterally extended pin, a segmental rack formed with a slot through which the pin is extended and adapted to be oscillated thereby, a swinging pointer having an associated pinion co-acting Vwith the segmental rack andadapted to be oscillated thereby, and spring means associated with the point-- er adapted to restore the same `to a normal position, substantially as described. 5. In combination ,with a steering mechanism, a Geneva movement comprising a rotatable collar having a notch at one point in its periphery, a finger co-acting with the collar and notch and adapted to be swung from a normal position and held either to the right or left thereotI with movement of the collar, a valve associated with the finger and adapted to be operated with movements thereof, cylinder mechanism with which is associated a pointer, and connections extended from a fluid pressure source through the valve to the cylinder mechanism adapted vto actuate the latter when the valve is moved in response to swinging of the linger, substantially as described.

FRED F. SCHRODER. 

